Cooking

Pender County is hosting its fifth annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival this weekend on Friday and Saturday, June 20-21, in historic downtown Burgaw.

Last year’s event attracted an estimated 25,000 people and this year organizers expect to surpass that number.

Celebrating the home of the first cultivated blueberry in North Carolina, the Blueberry Festival celebrates the historical, economic and cultural significance of blueberries in the southeastern region of the state.

Currently, Pender County ranks second in blueberry production in North Carolina.

There are lots of lot fat, low carb dessert recipes out there, but few really meet the standards of good taste as well. That is a hard task to meet. When you lower fat content, you usually compensate with sugar. To offset this, use more natural sugars and fruits.

Desserts can easily become an obsession when trying to change lifestyle patterns. Don’t over-do. Enjoy small portions and you will stay on track.

Sesame is one of the oldest seeds known to man. Thought to have originated in India or Africa, the first written record of sesame dates back to 3,000 B.C.

According to Assyrian mythology, sesame's origins go back even farther—there is a charming myth about the Gods imbibing sesame seed wine the night before they created the earth. References can be found to Babylonians using sesame oil, and to Egyptians growing their own sesame to make flour.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend grains as the foundation of a healthy diet. In fact, the new Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid recommend at least three servings of whole grains daily, or making half your grain servings whole, with the other half coming from enriched or whole grains. Yet currently, less than 10 percent of Americans eat three servings daily and most eat an average of less than one serving per day.

Basil, like many foods throughout the ages, has had a multitude of identities.

Basil is derived from the Greek word basiliskos, which literally translates as “Little King.”

It is alleged basil was a constituent in various regal potions and medicines; however, if you were to hop in your time machine and visit various eras and places around the globe, you would encounter many different associations with basil.

Legend of basil

Legend has it basil grew around Christ’s tomb, as well as on the spot where the Holy Cross was found.

Unlike most other vinegars, balsamic vinegar is a perfectly tuned balance of sharp, sweet, rich and piquant. It is believed the best balsamic vinegars hail from the Modena and Reggio-Emilia regions in Italy, where the use of barrels made from various woods give these vinegars their exceptional flavor.

Nothing epitomizes summer cooking more than grilling; however, grilling can be very confusing. The more recipes, cookbooks and perspectives you encounter, the greater the diversity of opinion that arises.

When do you apply the barbecue sauce? Gas or charcoal? Flip the food only once or frequently? High heat or low heat? Dry rubs or marinades? Cover closed or open? It can drive you nuts. Let’s check out the variables.

The banana tree originated in India and eventually found its way through the tropical regions of the world, namely, Africa, Latin America, Australia and Southeast Asia.

If you want to get technical however, the banana is not a tree, nor is the yummy yellow edible a fruit. The “tree” is actually a large herb and the banana is seedless and thus, botanically speaking, not a fruit.

Building strong bones is a lot like building a healthy balance in your “calcium bank account.” Bones are living tissue and constantly in a state of turnover, making calcium deposits and withdrawals daily. Bones don’t come with a lifetime guarantee. They need continuing maintenance or they can weaken and break.